羅馬書1:18-32

 

1:18 原來，上帝的忿怒從天上顯明在一切不虔不義的人身上，就是那些行不義阻擋真理的人。
1:19 上帝的事情，人所能知道的，原顯明在人心裡，因為上帝已經給他們顯明。
1:20 自從造天地以來，上帝的永能和神性是明明可知的，雖是眼不能見，但藉著所造之物就可以曉得，叫人無可推諉。
1:21 因為，他們雖然知道上帝，卻不當作上帝榮耀他，也不感謝他。他們的思念變為虛妄，無知的心就昏暗了。
1:22 自稱為聰明，反成了愚拙，
1:23 將不能朽壞之上帝的榮耀變為偶像，彷彿必朽壞的人和飛禽、走獸、昆蟲的樣式。
1:24 所以，上帝任憑他們逞著心裡的情慾行污穢的事，以致彼此玷辱自己的身體。
1:25 他們將上帝的真實變為虛謊，去敬拜事奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主─主乃是可稱頌的，直到永遠。阿們！
1:26 因此，上帝任憑他們放縱可羞恥的情慾。他們的女人把順性的用處變為逆性的用處；
1:27 男人也是如此，棄了女人順性的用處，慾火攻心，彼此貪戀，男和男行可羞恥的事，就在自己身上受這妄為當得的報應。
1:28 他們既然故意不認識上帝，上帝就任憑他們存邪僻的心，行那些不合理的事；
1:29 裝滿了各樣不義、邪惡、貪婪、惡毒（或譯：陰毒）；滿心是嫉妒、凶殺、爭競、詭詐、毒恨；
1:30 又是讒毀的、背後說人的、怨恨上帝的（或譯：被上帝所憎惡的）、侮慢人的、狂傲的、自誇的、捏造惡事的、違背父母的、
1:31 無知的、背約的、無親情的、不憐憫人的。
1:32 他們雖知道上帝判定行這樣事的人是當死的，然而他們不但自己去行，還喜歡別人去行。

 

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

 

************

 

    保羅在此理論到人的實際狀況：不是上帝不拯救人，而是人拒絕上帝、悖逆上帝！而人的悖逆不是對上帝無知，世人故意如此行。正如保羅在這裡如此說：「他們雖然知道上帝，卻不當作上帝榮耀他，也不感謝他。他們的思念變為虛妄，無知的心就昏暗了。自稱為聰明，反成了愚拙，將不能朽壞之上帝的榮耀變為偶像，彷彿必朽壞的人和飛禽、走獸、昆蟲的樣式。」

 

    也因為這樣人就去追求那些可見之物，而不去尋求上帝的面！他們將受造之物當成上帝來崇拜，甚至情慾來主宰自己，尋求一時的歡樂，不去尋求永恆的上帝，對上帝沒有感恩的心！忘記：「一切美物，都是上帝所賞賜的！」

 

    也因為如此，上帝用「任憑」惡人的方式來警戒祂的兒女，讓祂的兒女們清楚，不要再悖逆要快快悔改歸向上帝，不要到與上帝關係永遠破裂，那就無法挽回了！而「任憑」就是失去了真正與上帝和好的關係，最終會滅亡的！